Ah, Australia – the place where everything is trying to kill you, no matter who you are. If the animals aren’t trying to get you, pretty much everything else is. And you’re not safe even if you have a healing factor and tend to lose your memories a lot. Yes, you got it right; Hugh Jackman was treated for skin cancer for the fourth time.
Wolverine and skin cancer
A picture made waves on the internet this Monday, as the internationally famous actor Hugh Jackman posted a selfie taken after his fourth skin cancer removal procedure. The actor known for his many roles as a tough guy appeared with a small bandage on his nose, urging people to use sunscreen and to get regular check-ups.
This marked the fourth time the actor developed this form of cancer – basal cell, and the third time he’s taken a picture after surgery. Fortunately for him, basal cell is the mildest form of skin cancer, so his prognosis was always optimistic, but cancer is still cancer.
Jackman also talked about the first time was diagnosed with the affliction, back in 2013. He went to doctor after being urged by his wife to get a strange mark on his nose checked out. It turned out that it was a mild form of skin cancer, most likely caused by not wearing sunscreen while living in Australia.
The actor also started a foundation to raise awareness for the disease, as he stated that regardless of the mildness of his version, it was still a shock to hear the word ‘cancer’. He continued to say that as a native Australian who pretty much never wore sunscreen, he is a prime candidate for developing the illness.
Australia’s sun – one of its fiercest killers
Indeed, the chances that you get cancer in Australia are higher than pretty much anywhere else in the world. Despite China owning the record for most cases of cancer, that is owed to their huge population. In Australia, however, the chances are huge.
According to figures from the Cancer Council Australia website, one in two Australian men will develop skin cancer by the time they’re 85, while women are slightly luckier, with one in three of them having the same chances.
Additionally, skin cancer accounts for about three in ten deaths every year. Despite this fact, 66% of people diagnosed with cancer in Australia are still alive and well years after their diagnosis.
Image source: Flickr
